Never Grow Up
by Casey Storm
Summary: He wasn't supposed to have gotten attached to them. They were there to learn how to control their bionics and to keep safe; he was there to teach them and to learn as much as he could from studying them. So why did it end up so differently? Because he'd let them touch his heart. And she, especially, had touched him in a way he'd never thought was possible. (Three-shot)
1. Bittersweet Memories

**A/N** : HUGE thanks to daphrose for beta-reading this for me!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Bittersweet Memories**

The sun was barely breaking over the horizon as Donald walked up the staircase. There was an uncharacteristic lack of energy in his step as he ascended to the floor above. The reticence on his part was due mostly to a sad knowledge of what day this was.

He stopped outside of a particular room and opened the door as quietly as he could. Looking in at the figure who was sleeping so peacefully, he couldn't help but smile sadly at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful and calm while she rested; her expression free of all care. Donald was about to slip back out of the room so as to avoid waking her, but he was reluctant to leave.

Leaning against the doorway, he sighed in tiredness and frustration. If he could keep her here always, where he knew he could protect and keep her safe, then he definitely would. Why did time always seem to fly by without you noticing it? The sad truth was that today was the day his little girl was leaving him. Today he had to say goodbye to his little princess.

He sighed again, this time feeling a mixture of sadness and pride. Sadness because he would no longer see her bright, smiling face at the breakfast table each morning; pride because of the beautiful, strong, intelligent young woman she had become. He wondered briefly if she was as nervous about this as he was. Probably not. His daughter was a warrior at heart.

It hadn't always been this way, he reflected. He remembered when he had first brought her and the others home; it seemed like so long ago now. He wasn't supposed to have gotten attatched to them - any of them. They were there to learn how to control their bionics and to keep safe; he was there to teach them and to learn as much as he could from studying them. So why did it end up so differently? Because he'd let them touch his heart. And she, especially, had touched him in a way he'd never thought was possible. She had literally changed his entire world. And now she was leaving it all behind.

He knew this day would come eventually. Every father knows it. But he hadn't expected it to come so soon. It seemed like only yesterday that he'd been reading her bedtime stories. He smiled as he remembered the way she used to enjoy super-speeding away with his toolset whenever she wanted him to drop his work and play with her. Where had the time gone? He closed his eyes as the memories flooded in...

* * *

The elevator doors slid open. Bree peeked out and looked around the room nervously. She couldn't believe she'd actually made it up here. In all of her four years (technically, four and a half) she had never once been out of the lab before. But she'd seen Mr. Davenport use the elevator enough times that she knew basically how to make it go up. Besides, she had a good reason for being up here.

When she'd woken up a few minutes ago, Bree could still vividly remember the nightmare. It had been so real; so terrifyingly real. Naturally, she'd wanted some comfort. But her brothers were both asleep and they wouldn't understand anyway. She needed Mr. Davenport. He always fixed things when they went wrong in the lab. He could fix this too, right?

The four year old took another step into the huge room. It was so much bigger than the lab - and it was _so_ dark. She saw a lot of bizarre-looking furniture and an entire wall made of glass. This last feature held her gaze the longest. As she stared at the view before her, she could see the vast world outside. The lights, twinkling like millions of stars, spread outwards towards the horizon. And beyond that was a never-ending sea of blackness. That was the outside world. The world that was forbidden to them.

One of the machines in the room clicked on with a loud hum and Bree snapped back to attention. Okay, back to her mission. She needed to find Mr. Davenport. Where could he be? The house was enormous and she really didn't want to go looking through all the dark, empty rooms until she found him. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should just go back to her capsule. She began backing her way towards the elevator again, not taking her eyes off the creepy shadows in the room in front of her.

Something behind her made a loud crashing sound when she neared the counter. Bree froze in place, not daring to move. Nothing happened for a moment. With a slight whimper, she peeked cautiously over her shoulder and saw a vase lying in a pile of shattered glass on the floor. Bree let out the breath she had been holding in; maybe she was just too jumpy. But her relief was premature, as a loud squeak sounded from the staircase a moment later.

The silhouette of a man came into view. He was walking as quietly as possible down the stairs, holding something large and heavy in his hands. Bree scooted behind the kitchen counter to hide herself. She curled into a ball with her back against the counter and ducked her head, as if that would somehow protect her from whoever was out there. The footsteps approached as the man paused in front of the broken vase. By this time, Bree was shaking with the fear of what this man might do; she should never have come up here. An involuntary sniffle escaped before she could stop herself.

Having heard the noise, the man leaned around the edge of the counter and paused. " _Bree_?" a familiar voice asked in surprise. "What are you doing up here?"

The relief that flooded into her system at recognizing Mr. Davenport's voice was overwhelming. Bree looked up at him and felt a tear starting to form in her eye.

Mr. Davenport leaned down to get a better look at the girl. "Bree, what are doing out of the lab? I told you three to never -"

He was cut off by the little girl suddenly jumping up, throwing her arms around his neck, and burying her head in his shoulder. Donald sat in stunned silence as he felt his initial frustration melt into confusion and then concern.

"Bree, are you okay?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I- I had a bad dream," the four year old said shakily. She burried her head deeper into his shoulder as the tears started to fall freely now. "I'm scared."

Donald wasn't exactly sure what to do. He'd never had to comfort a frightened child before. Part of him was annoyed at being stuck in this predicament while another part, somewhere deep inside, was touched at having her seek him out for reassurance. He gently put his hand on her back and spoke softly, "It's okay, Bree. It was just a dream."

"It felt real," she told him, clinging tighter.

"Okay," he said. "Why don't you tell me what it was about?"

The girl stepped back, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "I's in the lab. Adam and Chasey weren't there. No one was there. I- I saw a person; a person who wasn't you. I's scared. Couldn't run..." She trailed off as her voice shook a little from the tears that still wanted to come out.

Donald pulled her into a hug and she once again wrapped her arms around his neck. He stood up, holding her against him, and walked over to the glass wall on the other side of the room. He knelt down on one knee in front of the glass and settled her onto his other knee so she could look outside. "It's okay, Bree," he said gently. "I want to explain something to you and I want you to listen very carefully."

Nodding her head, Bree focused her attention fully on the inventor. "What?"

Donald pointed to all the sparkling lights in the valley below. "You see all those lights? Each one is a building - like this house - and they're all filled with people. Some have only a few people while others have dozens of people inside."

Bree, gaze transfixed on the sight before them, widened her eyes in astonishment. "That's a lot of people."

"Yes, it is," Donald continued. "But you know what? Not a single one of those people down there are as fast as you. They could run everyday of their lives without becoming as fast as you are. You don't have to be afraid of them; they could never harm you even if they wanted to. And, someday, you'll be able to use that speed to help other people who are frightened or in trouble."

"I'm special?" she asked uncertainly.

He smiled down at her and ran a hand gently through her tangled brown hair. "More than you realize," he said. "Even if you weren't so fast and so good at climbing the walls, you'd still be special. Do you know why?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Because, out of all the millions of people in the world, there is only _one_ you. There's not a single other person out there who looks just like you, talks just like you, and thinks just like you. That makes you really special."

She placed a hand on his arm and looked up at him questioningly. "Chase says we're different. Other people - _normal_ people - aren't like us. Is that bad?"

Donald had to think about it for a minute. "Well, your case is a little unusual. But it is _never_ a bad thing to be different. Which would you rather be: one of a million or one _in_ a million?"

"Huh?"

"If you were just like everyone else, there would be no way of telling you apart from all the others like you. It would be boring because there would already be so many other people with the same personality and interests as you. If you're different, that means you are one of a kind. It's like being a stone. You could make yourself like all the other stones out there just to fit in, or you could let your unique qualities shine through, like a beautiful diamond." Donald wished he could have claimed credit for that speech, but it was actually the same thing his mother used to tell him when he got picked on at school for being a "nerd". He just never thought he'd actually wind up having to give the same sort of advice and encouragement.

Bree sat silently for several minutes while thinking about what he'd said. She turned and looked at the world outside once again. It was so big and scary out there; no wonder they weren't allowed to go out in it. But Mr. Davenport had said that they would have to someday. She really wanted to be ready for that day when it came. Her eyes tilted upward towards the shimmering lights in the sky. They were so beautiful.

She closed her eyes. "I want to be big and strong and brave someday," Bree whispered. "I don't ever want to be afraid again." She yawned and cuddled in closer. "And Mr. Davenport? Thank you."

Donald smiled down at the little, brown haired, brown-eyed child and couldn't ignore that feeling that was growing inside. The kids may have originally been little more to him than scientific breakthroughs to be studied and explored; but he had to admit that something else was starting to form between him and them. Was it possible that he was actually letting himself get emotionally attatched to them? He was realizing a little more each day that these three youngsters had just as much to teach him as he had to teach them.

"Okay, Bree, it's time to go back to your capsule," he said reluctantly. A soft snore told him that she'd already fallen asleep, her head resting gently against his chest.

Donald wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a minute. She had never asked for the life she was now living. Donald felt almost guilty about what his and Douglas' technology had done to these three children who could never have normal lives now.

With a new determination, Donald decided that he would help her to never have to feel afraid again. He was going to help train her - train them all - so they could take on anyone or anything that might try to hurt them. And, in the meantime, he would be there to make sure nothing bad happened to them. He would protect them, no matter what the cost.

He remembered the little thank you she had said. But he hadn't helped her as much that night as she had helped him. "Thank you, too, Bree," he whispered.

* * *

 **A/N** : This is part one in a three-shot. Part two should be up within the next few days.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed. If you have any thoughts/suggestions, please let me know! Thanks again!


	2. Growing Pains

**Chapter 2: Growing Pains**

 _(Bree: Age 9)_

The tension that filled the lab was almost stifling. Total silence enveloped the room as the four occupants stood staring at the disaster.

What had started out as a simple game of scavenger hunt had soon morphed into a total free-for-all. Adam could be blamed for deviating off the rules when he'd suddenly declared that the last item on the list was his because it was in "his territory". On the other hand, Chase could take part of that blame as well since he'd been the one to try "conquering" Adam's territory to win the prized object. But it was ultimately Bree who'd convinced the both of them to settle their dispute with a game of capture-the-kingdom. Of course, any such game involving Chase would _have_ to become more realistic by setting up each kingdom's borders and planting fields of "food" for their imaginary subjects to eat. In the end, the lab had become a total disaster zone as the war-ravaged kingdoms had not fared well.

Naturally, that was when Donald had come home from work. After a long, hard day of trying to negotiate some new business deals for his tech company, the inventor had looked forward to a quiet evening in his lab where he could work on his inventions. One look at the mess inside his work space was enough to bring all the day's tensions and frustrations to the surface.

The three bionics waited nervously for the man to overcome his initial shock. They dared not make a sound while he tried to sort through his emotions and come up with a suitable reaction to the situation. Maybe things would have gone a bit better if Adam hadn't decided to be helpful.

"Hey, Mr. Davenport," he called cheerfully from his perch atop the cyber-desk. "So, how was work?"

Yeah, that did it.

"What. Happened. Here?!" he asked, his voice just bordering between carefully controlled anger and overwhelming frustration. "What did you do to the lab?!"

"Well-" Adam tried to explain.

He was cut off by Donald suddenly gaining full use of his vocal cords again. "Do you have any _idea_ how many of my devices you just ruined? When I left, you promised to keep calm. You said you were just going to play a simple game! This is the _third time this week_ you've made a complete disaster of my lab!"

Donald paused and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He'd had a bad day and this probably wasn't the best time to deal with this situation. Making a decision to wait until he'd calmed down to discuss this further, he turned and walked back out of the room, calling over his shoulder as he left, "Just clean this place up."

In the outer room, Donald sat down at his work desk and let out a frustrated sigh. _It's okay,_ he told himself. _Remember, they're just kids. They get hyper sometimes just like any other kid._ See, this was why he'd known from the start that attempting to raise three kids was a bad idea. He was just not cut out for this whole parenting thing. It was too late to change his mind, of course, but he couldn't help wondering if he'd made the wrong choice on that day, almost a decade ago. Burying his head in his hands, he leaned over the desk and tried to convince himself that everything would be okay once he'd gotten a good night's rest.

The lab doors slid open behind him, but he didn't bother to turn around. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Adam throwing his brother across the room, or whatever other crises had come up. To his surprise, a small hand reached over and rested gently on his arm.

"Mr. Davenport?" Her voice sounded hesitant, nervous, and concerned all at the same time.

Donald lifted his head and looked over at Bree standing beside him, a worried look on her face. She was holding something behind her back in her other hand.

"We're sorry, Mr. Davenport," she continued. "We didn't mean to mess up the lab; it just happened. And we're really, _really_ sorry if we ruined any of your inventions. Chase said the reason you're mad is 'cause they cost a lot of money, but we didn't know. But I fixed one of 'em for you." She pulled her hand out from behind her back to reveal the small device she had "fixed"; she promptly set it into Donald's hands.

Whatever it had once been, it was now nearly unrecognizable. Duct-tape was wrapped around the device, presumably to hold it together, and it was completely coated in craft glue. For some reason, it didn't matter. It was beautiful.

Donald smiled down at the little girl and felt all his anger melt away. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close. "Bree, it's perfect," he said quietly. "Thank you."

She squirmed her way onto his lap and looked down at the gadget in his hands. "It's really okay?"

"It is," he reassured her. "Really. And I'm sorry for shouting earlier. I was upset."

Her head bobbed up and down in a vigorous nod. "'Cause of us breaking your stuff," she said. "We won't do it again, now we know it costs a lot."

"The money is not important, Bree." Donald couldn't believe he was actually saying this. "You three are more important than all of that."

She looked up at him, her brown eyes opened wide. "Promise?"

"I promise."

The girl slid down off his lap and gave him a big smile. "We'll clean the lab now so we can train," she told him before hurrying back into the main room.

As Donald watched the lab doors slide shut behind her, he shook his head in confusion. Since when did he let himself care so much about the bionics? He was supposed to be studying them, not getting emotionally attatched to them.

He looked back at the tape-wrapped device in his hands. And he promised right then and there that he would never again doubt whether or not he'd made the right decision.

* * *

 _(Bree: Age 12)_

"It doesn't look too bad," Adam said. "Does it?"

Donald shook his head and checked the leg again, trying to be careful not to move it too much. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain.

Bree was handling it like a real warrior. She was sitting on one of the work tables in the lab with both her legs stretched out in front of her, one of them at an odd angle. She was leaning back, putting most of her weight on her hands, in an attempt to ease the intense pain shooting through her. Who would have guessed that a simple game of hide-and-seek with her brothers would end so badly?

One close inspection of the leg quickly revealed the source of the pain. It was dislocated. Donald was planning on resetting it with help from Chase. The youngest bionic had used the internet to learn the procedure as soon as he'd heard that it might be needed.

"Okay, Bree," he said, "we're going to have to set it now. Ready?"

The twelve year old nodded, squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation of the pain that was about to come. Donald reached one of his hands over to her and she sat up enough to wrap both of her own hands around it tightly. He used his other hand to assist Chase in resetting the leg. There was a loud popping sound as the joint shifted back into place. A single tear slid down Bree's cheek, but she made no noise to indicate her discomfort. She was always so determined to be brave.

Donald lifted her up in his arms and carried her into one of the side rooms. Trying to be as gentle as he could, he set her down on a couch and eased her into a lying position. "Just lie still," he said, his voice sliding back into stern-parent mode. "We don't want you injuring that again. Adam and Chase, you can clean up that disaster you left in the lab."

The boys groaned in disappointment, but left the room to go take care of the mess. Donald was just turning to leave as well when he felt Bree's hand reach up and grab his arm. He glanced down in surprise.

She was looking up at him with an expression he found hard to interpret. "Mr. Davenport?" she said. "Thank you."

Donald nodded quickly and hurried out of the room to continue the project he'd been in the middle of before getting interrupted.

* * *

 _(Bree: Age 16)_

"Why can't I go?" Bree demanded, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Caitlin's parents are letting her go."

"Yeah, they probably just want her out of the house for a while," Chase interjected unhelpfully, and Adam laughed in agreement. Bree sent them a death glare that silenced the both of them.

"Well?" she continued. "Why can't I go?"

"I've explained this twice, now," Donald said, growing irritated. It'd been a rather bad day at Danvenport Industries and he was worn out. "You have a mission to go on tomorrow and have to leave really early. How do you expect to be fully alert and competent on the mission if you stay out all night?"

"It's not all night," Bree protested. "The movie will be over by eleven."

"Yeah, and that's still too late at night for you to be out," Donald said. "Even without the mission tomorrow, you still shouldn't be out that late at your age."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Can't you make an exception just this _one_ time? I mean, it's not like I ask for things like this every day. And Adam and Chase can handle the mission without me. It's so simple even Leo could handle it."

"Hey!" her step-brother exclaimed, in the middle of grabbing a snack from the kitchen. "I'm standing right here!"

"You still need to go on the mission," Donald said. "Your super-speed could be a real asset in helping contain that gas leak. That's my final word on this. End of discussion."

"So, you're saying that I can't enjoy my life because I have bionics?" Bree said in exasperation. "That's completely unfair. It's not like I _chose_ to be this way."

She didn't realize just how much those words stung, and the anger inside her kept her from seeing the sudden look of guilt that flashed across Donald's face. He still couldn't help blaming himself for his brother's actions. As she rushed past him on her way to the elevator, Donald turned and headed out of the room. They both needed time to cool down and he needed time to think.

The private office that Donald had set up in one of the mansion's many spare rooms was usually a place he liked to go to for some peace, quiet, and relaxation. But, as he shut the door behind him, he couldn't help noticing the complete lack of those three emotions in him right now. He sat down at the desk with a sigh and leaned back in the chair.

The photographs lined up in nice frames across the desktop had been one of Tasha's decorating ideas. He wasn't sure where she had even found all the old photos - perhaps she'd somehow convinced Eddy to help with that - but they were ranging from early ones of him with the kids to wedding pictures and more recent family photos.

Donald's eyes fell on one of him in the lab, helping a six year old Bree sculpt play-doh figures. Adam stood to one side, snacking on the green play-doh. Chase was on the other side of Adam with a miniature replica of Notre Dame that he'd sculpted himself. Donald and Bree were trying desperately to get their little clay animals to come out correctly; both were laughing hard at the horribly misshapen walrus they were holding between them.

He didn't remember that day well enough to know why they had started sculpting things out of the play-doh - probably some experiment on his part to determine their levels of imagination - but he recognized that innocent and bubbly expression on Bree's face. She used to look like that a lot when she was little. Why couldn't things be that simple now? He reached over and pulled the picture nearer for a better look. It had been a long time since he and Bree had shared a fun day like that.

Today's argument would be forgotten by tomorrow, Donald knew. They had both been frustrated by equally bad days and weren't in the right mindset to have a calmer discussion about it. That wasn't what bothered him, though. It was seeing this picture of the kids when they were so young and knowing that he'd never have that time back again. He couldn't believe how much of their childhood he'd wasted with just trying to study them and their abilities. He wished there was a way to go back to that time and relive it. Was he repeating the exact same mistake now?

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. "Yes?" he said. "Come in."

The door opened and he was surprised to see Bree enter hesitantly. All the anger was gone from her face and she looked like she'd been thinking hard as well. "Do you mind if I come in?" she asked.

When he nodded, she entered the rest of the way and shut the door behind her. She stood in front of the desk and took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. And I probably shouldn't have yelled, either. It's just that I've been working so hard lately on my training and the missions; I just felt like I really needed a break from it all."

Donald glanced down at the pictures on his desk again. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "maybe you're not the only one who needs a break." Looking back up at her, he said, "Bree, how would you like to take a day off with me this weekend? We could just go out and do something fun."

Bree looked at him in total shock. "Are you serious?" she asked. "What about that meeting you have on Saturday?"

"I can reschedule it," Donald told her. "It's okay if you don't want to. You can still have the day off though. Maybe you and Caitlin can go watch that movie you had wanted to see tonight. Just not as _late_ at night this time."

Bree looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. Then a slow smile crept onto her face and she reached across the desk to place a hand on his arm. "I'd love to spend the day out," she said. "But only if you come, too." She turned and headed back towards the door, pausing at the last second to add, "And thank you."

After she was gone, Donald leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. "No, Bree," he whispered. "Thank _you_."

* * *

 **A/N:** Third and final chapter coming soon!

That's the last of the "flashbacks". Next chapter will see us back in the present. (Picking up again from the first scene of this story) Thank you everyone who read the first chapter! And thanks especially to PurpleNicole531, LoveShipper, and Asori for reviewing. You guys are awesome!

P.S. Who else is super-excited about the spin-off series "Lab Rats: Elite Force" next year? I'm just so glad that we're not seeing the last of the bionics after Lab Rats ends this season. And the idea of crossing Lab Rats with Mighty Med sounds pretty cool!


	3. Goodbye and Thank You

**Chapter 3: Goodbye and Thank You**

 _(Back in the present. Bree: Age 20)_

Still leaning against the doorway, Donald knew that there was very little time left. He knew there were things he should be doing, phone calls he should be making. But, honestly, he just didn't care. None of that seemed to matter to him right now. Because, for the first time, he truly understood how precious his time with his daughter was. Why did you always have to lose something to realize how much it meant?

She stirred slightly in her sleep, bringing him out of his thoughts. Stepping farther into the room, he quietly shut the door behind him. Donald looked around the stark white room and couldn't help feeling that the harsh lack of colors only added to the foreboding atmosphere this place already held. The incessant beeping of the machines didn't help either. He shot a glare at the heart monitor before sitting down in one of the only chairs present.

Gently taking her hand in his, he silently prayed that she would at least wake up long enough for him to say goodbye. He at least owed her that much.

 _Why did she have such a short time with us?_ he wondered sadly. _She was so brave, strong, and fearless. It doesn't make sense to take her away before she has a chance to live a full life. It doesn't make sense._

The hospital room was eerily quiet apart from the noises made by the monitoring equipment. The air smelled of a dozen different disinfectants and the temperature was surprisingly cool, sending a chill through him. Out in the hallway, footsteps could be heard going back and forth on their way to other rooms and floors. Donald wondered briefly how many of those people were also saying goodbye to those they cared about. It was amazing how he'd never even thought about that all the other times he'd been in hospitals; how he'd never considered what tragedies were unfolding in the rooms around him. Strange, how people are so good at only facing the harsh realities of life after being personally affected by them.

Bree stirred again and Donald looked back down at her. She was still asleep.

He was suddenly reminded of the time she'd been very ill as a young girl and Donald had stayed up beside her bed all night to keep her company. She had been too sick to stand in her capsule and he'd set up a cot down in the lab to accomodate her. That whole night had been spent telling stories back and forth, playing I-spy, and watching movies together. Back when it first happened, Donald had probably felt inconvenienced about how much of his time the whole incident had taken up, but now he couldn't help wishing that they'd had more of those kind of nights to remember.

With a quiet sigh, her eyes slowly peeked open. "Mr. Davenport?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Yes," he said, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. He couldn't help noticing how often in the past she had used the same gesture to reassure him instead.

"Where are the others?" she asked, her expression clouded with confusion. Donald guessed it was the medication at work.

"They're fine," he assured her. "They're on their way right now and should be here any minute."

She nodded and relaxed back against the bed with a sigh. After a long pause, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Donald looked at her in surprise. Considering their respective situations, that was the last question he'd expected _her_ to be asking. But she was staring at him with a very serious expression, and he knew that she wanted him to be honest about his answer. He let out a frustrated sigh and admitted, "No, not really. I keep thinking that if I had only tried harder... that if there was more I could do..."

She interrupted him with a gentle response, "Mr. Davenport, it's not in your hands. I'm okay; but I want to know that you are too."

"I've been thinking about all the times we've had together," he said after a moment. "I've been thinking about how glad I am that I have all these memories of us, and how sad I am that I didn't make more of them when we had the chance."

"Do you remember the time I had that nightmare and came out of the lab to find you?"

Donald smiled. "Yes," he said quietly.

"Do you remember what you said to me? You said that even without my super-speed and my other abilities, I would still be special. Because I'm me; and there's only one me in the whole world." A harsh cough interrupted her for a moment. As soon as she had her breathing under control again, she continued, "Mr. Davenport, there's also only one _you_ in this world. And there are four people who care about you, just like I do. Maybe it's the smart thing to start making new memories with them, rather than regretting old ones. If there's only one of each of us, then we have to make that one chance count."

He looked at her with pride. "Did anyone ever tell you that you are a very wise young woman?"

She smiled. "Well, I was taught by a genius."

Another silence filled the room while she tried to regain some of her energy. During that time, Donald's thoughts were filled with such conflicting emotions. Wasn't there _anything_ else he could have done? Anything that could have prevented the situation from coming to this moment? He'd always been able to fix things; that was his entire life. Now it came to the one thing that really mattered, and he couldn't do a single thing about it.

One of the monitors changed slightly in tone and he looked at it nervously. _No, not yet,_ he pleaded silently. _I'm not ready yet._ Why hadn't he spent more time with them when he'd had the chance? How could he have just let their childhood slip away from him like that?

"Mr. Davenport," she said suddenly. He could tell by her tone that she wanted something, but was a little embarrassed to ask for it. "Can you hold my hand?"

He felt his vision blur slightly with the tears that he was desparately holding back. Reaching over, he gently placed his hand on the bed and immediately felt both of hers wrap around it tightly. She squeezed it as hard as her failing strength would allow.

This was it, he knew. Their time had been reduced from years and years to just these last few moments. He felt a stray tear fall down his cheek. He wanted to say something - _anything_ \- to help make it easier. But all of the words that came into his head did nothing to relay what he was feeling in that moment. It didn't matter; she said it for him.

"I love you, Daddy."

A few of the monitors beeped frantically for a second before falling quiet. The room was enveloped in a horrible silence.

All of the emotions, thoughts, and memories came crashing into his mind all at once as he finally let the tears run free. All of the things they'd done and said; all of the things they _hadn't_ done and said. How had he let this happen? How had he let himself get so involved in their lives? No, why hadn't he become _more_ involved when he'd had the chance?

 _It doesn't make sense to take her away before she has a chance to live a full life._

With a lonely sadness, Donald remembered his earlier words. What was the point? She was so full of energy and life; she was going to go far and change the world. _Change the world..._

But she had, in a sense. She had come into _his_ world, and completely changed it upside down. As a tiny child, scared of the dark, she had touched his heart in a way that made it possible for him to open it up to the others. First to Adam and Chase, and later to Tasha and Leo as well. She had taken a young inventor - focused on his career and nothing else - and made him into a completely different person. Into a father. Without even realizing it, she'd made them a real family.

And now she had changed him again. He now understood just how important his time with that family was. He wasn't going to let another day go by in which he wasted that precious time. He didn't want to have anymore moments to add to his "regret pile".

 _I love you, Daddy._

"I love you, too, Bree," he whispered. "And thank you."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, what'd you think? I want to thank you all _SO_ much for reading this story!

PurpleNicole531, LoveShipper, and Asori, thanks so much for the very kind reviews. I _really_ appreciate your thoughtfulness!

HUGE thanks to daphrose for beta-reading this story for me. That was extremely appreciated!

Bye for now! ~Casey


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